Video analysis helps Sachem North's Melissa Michels

Sachem North's Melissa Michels sat in the stands, high above the track at the Armory in Manhattan. After tying for seventh in the 55-meter preliminaries in 7.47 at the Millrose Games trials, Michels had two hours to prepare for a highly competitive final.

A trip to the Feb. 16 Millrose Games was at stake in the Jan. 16 race, with the top four finishers receiving bids.

As she took her seat, Michels knew that her final time needed to improve or she wouldn't be included in the elite field. With time on her hands, Suffolk's top-ranked 55-meter sprinter went to the videotape. Her coach, Alex Young, recorded the preliminary round on his phone. The mezzanine-level angle gave Michels the perfect view of her performance.

Through this, she was able to analyze and correct any fundamental mistakes made during the first round of sprints.

"I'm able to see the small things, [such as] if I'm popping up, if I'm driving both arms, and where my first step is coming off the blocks," she said of video analysis.

As she watched the video of her first race, Michels said she saw that the transition between her start and "top speed phase" was not as technically sound as it could have been.

"When you're first coming off the blocks, you want to keep your head and shoulders down and drive out straight forward," she said. "You aren't going to be [running] straight up until 20 to 25 meters, or you're going to lose speed."

She learned from the video, made the adjustment, and received the desired result. Michels placed third in the final, finishing in 7.34 seconds.

"The film really helped me see what I wanted to focus on," she said. "It was a big change in the finals [and] I was happy with it."

The time not only qualified her for the Millrose Games, it also tied a Sachem North 55-meter record -- one set in 1985 and matched in 1999, according to Young.

"I knew my coach was thrilled," Michels said. "He wanted to be able to say he coached a sprinter who went to the Millrose Games."

Now, he can.

As she prepares for the actual event, Michels will continue to view video. Only this time, she says it will be of other 55-meter runners and how they transition off the starting line.